Modern digital logic design and analysis often requires the design of combinatorial logic and sequential state machines. The design and analysis process, typically, includes a step of expressing or modeling binary output variables as mathematical transforms or functions of input binary variables. For instance, binary output variables representative of circuit outputs or flip-flop next states may be modeled as mathematical transforms, or functions, of input binary variables such as circuit inputs or flip-flop present states, respectively. Techniques for representing such transforms include truth tables, Karnaugh maps, Quine-MeCluskey method and variable entered maps (i.e., which are illustrated, for example, in Digital Logic and Computer Design, by Thomas McCalla, Macmillan Publishing, 1992). Unfortunately, these representation techniques are found to be suitable, generally, only when the number of input variables is small (e.g., six or less) because the number of tables or maps becomes unwieldy with a large number of input variables, thereby increasing the possibility for errors.
The design and analysis process of combinatorial logic and sequential state machines also, typically, includes a step of confirming that all possible relevant combinations of input variables have been appropriately addressed by the modeling step. Generally, to provide such confirmation, a designer must manually determine, among other things, whether each output variable has been modeled using all appropriate input variables (i.e., some input variables may not effect a particular output variable) and whether a particular combination of input variables has been erroneously duplicated during the modeling step.
Therefore, there exists in the industry, a need for a system for aiding a logic designer in the representation of combinatorial logic and sequential state machines, for assisting the designer in confirming that output variables have been appropriately and non-erroneously included in the modeling process, and for addressing these and other related, and unrelated, problems.